Landmark Conference names Daniel Fisher new commissioner

BALTIMORE – Daniel A. Fisher, of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), has been appointed as the second commissioner of the Landmark Conference, an association of eight NCAA Division III institutions in the mid-Atlantic region. Fisher will begin his service as commissioner on July 1.

“I am excited and honored to have been selected as the next commissioner of the Landmark Conference,” said Fisher. “During my discussions with the presidents and athletics directors of the conference, it was apparent that the members of the Landmark are committed to working together and fostering an environment of success for all participants in athletics.”

Since 2005, Fisher has been the NESCAC’s assistant director for conference operations. As such, he manages the daily operations of the conference, serves as its sports information director, oversees its Internet presence and social media strategy, and  handles external communications and media relations. In addition, he supports the administration of conference championship events, helps construct league scheduling, provides compliance assistance to conference members, manages the use of the NESCAC logo marks and branding initiatives, handles all licensing and merchandizing requests, and serves as the administrative liaison to the NESCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

The Landmark Conference’s members selected Fisher following an extensive nationwide search for a leader who will be able to continue to shape the conference and help it attain its goal of integrating the educational and athletic experience. Fisher will succeed John A. Reeves, the former athletics director of Columbia University, who was the Landmark’s founding commissioner and served for six years.

“We are looking forward to working with Dan in continuing to build upon the reputation of our conference and enhancing the quality of the experience for our student-athletes,” said Pamela Samuelson, athletic director at Susquehanna University and chair of the Landmark Conference athletic directors. “Dan’s well-rounded understanding of NCAA Division III issues, along with his experience, energy, and collaborative leadership style, make him a terrific fit for this position.”

As commissioner, Fisher will provide a critical link among the presidents, academic leaders, athletic administrators, and coaches of the Landmark Conference. He will oversee all of the conference’s sports programs for men and women, including championships and special events, and he will administer its program-development efforts and day-to-day operational planning. Officiating, compliance, sports information, and marketing will also fall under his purview. Fisher will manage all fiscal operations of the Landmark Conference, including its annual operating budget, and he will coordinate contacts with prospective sponsors and affiliated organizations.

Prior to joining the NESCAC, Fisher was the director of media relations for the Atlantic Hockey Association, a 10-member NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey league, from August 2004 until July 2005. During this time, he also was the part-time sports communications coordinator for the North Atlantic Conference (Division III).

Before working with the Atlantic Hockey Association and the NAC, Fisher served as the assistant director of media relations for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell from August 2002 until May 2004.

A 2001 graduate of Clarkson University, Fisher received a bachelor of science in accounting and management information systems. He earned his master of science in sports management from the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in May 2011.

“We are pleased that Dan Fisher will assume the leadership of the Landmark Conference, and we are confident that his enthusiasm and experience will go far to ensure that athleticism and scholarship continue to be complementary and important aspects of the undergraduate experience at the member institutions,” said Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College and chair of the Landmark Conference executive board.  “He is a fitting successor to John Reeves, who, along with Assistant Commissioner Joel Cookson, helped establish the respect our athletic conference has today.”

The members of the Landmark Conference are the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC; Drew University in Madison, NJ; Goucher College in Baltimore; Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA; Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA; Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA; the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, NY; and the University of Scranton in Scranton, PA. The conference office will move in the summer from Drew University to the campus of Goucher College.

Landmark Conference members compete in baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, field hockey, indoor and outdoor track and field, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.

The conference members are colleges and universities of similar size, educational philosophies, and high academic standards. They share the mission of not only standing out in athletics, but also emphasizing educational achievement among student-athletes.